Cons:

Don't let this game's title fool you. Disney Interactive Studios could have easily gotten away with calling it Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, But Also with A Lot of Stuff from the Second Movie, Too. Perhaps to make up for the fact that there wasn't a "Dead Man's Chest" game for consoles, you get a nice refresher course on the last movie before this game begins following the plot of the more recent "At World's End."

The first thing that I noticed about the game is that it looks good... quite a bit better than I would expect a movie-licensed game to look, in fact. Everything from the backgrounds to the character models really help to capture the feel of the movies. The digital version of Jack Sparrow looks eerily like Johnny Depp. Although none of the stars lend their voices to the game, their sound-alikes are surprisingly accurate. Unfortunately, the voice actors aren't given many chances to show off their skills. Aside from cut scenes, nobody has much to say during gameplay. This seems especially out of character for "witty Jack" who should be quipping up a storm as you fight. His noted silence is doubly disappointing considering the game's animators did a fantastic job capturing Sparrow's unique movements and mannerisms.

It's a shame that these quality graphics almost go to waste on such a mediocre game. Most of the stages have light puzzle elements, like figuring out how to maneuver your way past the kraken's flailing tentacles aboard the Black Pearl. There is also a bit of a collect-a-thon action with hidden items and chests scattered throughout each stage. Finding these earns you achievements and unlockable content. The bulk of the action, however, is all about swashbuckling swordplay.

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Unfortunately, the swashbuckling swordplay is one of AWE's biggest faults, as the combat is horribly dull. Here's what you'll need to do to defeat a typical enemy: Slash at him twice with your sword. This will cause him to spin around, leaving his back exposed. Slash at him once more, and he's down. Now do that to every enemy in the game! OK, maybe not every enemy -- there are a few "mini-boss" opponents that require a tad more effort. Those guys just need a hit from one of your "finishing moves" to kill. As you play through the game, you'll unlock four different finishing moves for each character (Jack, Will Turner, and Elizabeth Swan). To activate this move, just hack away at a foe until you see a prompt to hold down the LT button. Squeeze that trigger and tap the proper face button to pull off your flourish-heavy attack.

Of course, these finishing moves do absolutely nothing but look neat and do slightly more damage. They certainly don't add any depth to the fighting system. There are other moves available (punch, grapple, throw, pick-up weapons), but you'll rarely feel the need to use them if "slice, slice, spin, slice" works every time.